Review: Stratford on Stage production is the perfect prelude to Christmas

The cast of Santa's Last Stand. Photo / Ilona Hanne

Stratford on Stage’s most recent addition to its magnificent collection of plays – Santa’s Last Stand – is not only extremely fun, but romantic, adorable, and suitable for all ages. This play comes straight from the talented mind of Judi Bilcliff, a former drama teacher turned playwright and poet; this comedic and dramatic story is typical of her style. Although the story is well thought out, it is the talent seen both on and off stage that truly makes it an entertaining experience for everyone.

Donna Drummond has used her knowledge and experience in directing to create this festive and welcoming atmosphere, which lasts from the moment you enter to when you leave. She masterfully uses her team to indulge the audience in the true spirit of Christmas and the inviting feel of the winter season. In this tale, we watch as Mr and Mrs Claus face the hardship of economic inflation. The two then struggle to fund this year’s Christmas, all because of their evil landlord who is determined to steal Christmas.

Accompanying them we see many other intriguing and charismatic characters who add to the depth of the story. Santa, played by James Milich, brings a contrasting light to the jolly figure we are all accustomed to. He provides us with a never-before-seen side of Santa, cleverly demonstrating feelings of frustration, anger and love that reflect the reality of our modern world. Paired with him is the lovable Mrs Claus (Cynthia Ciezadlo) who is by his side most of the play. She shows true loyalty to her husband and brings this motherly feel to the stage through her movement and dialogue.

Santa’s home is never complete without a few elves running around. Marcus Mottram and Ciara Staines-Hurley play the two energetic elves, Double and Trouble, and their constant, fun banter with each other creates a relatable feel of sibling love. These two brilliantly use their given characters to show the contrast between each other – Double is seen as a short-tempered plan maker while Trouble is the innocent and clueless counterpart.

Another frequent duo who grace the stage are the Christmas fairy, Jingle Bell (Charlotte Frazier), and the snarky nephew of Mrs Claus, Alfie (Ollie Lister-Hardman). These two, throughout the play, were seen mainly discussing Jingle’s missing magical powers, and her love for a certain reindeer – Bashful the Reindeer. In this story, we are not met with the familiar reindeer from the stories we all know. Instead, we are greeted by the Seven Dwarves turned reindeer.

Similar to the classic portrayal of the dwarves in Snow White, all reindeer have names that correlate to their respective personalities – Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sneezy, Dopey, Sleepy, and Bashful. These seven gifted actors perfectly capture the dwarves as individuals and communicate their attributes to the audience. Of the seven reindeer, the special focus on the angry, ill-tempered attitude of Grumpy (Rubeana Reader), the enticing romance from Bashful (Tatjana Hanne) and the humorously cute lines delivered by Dopey (Izzy Single), allow the audience to giggle while enjoying the unravelling plot.

However, there are two characters that will stop at nothing to ensure Christmas is ruined. The Evil Landlord (Jack Linton) and his sidekick Bozo (Cohen Jacobson). These two show great contrast from the rest of the aforementioned characters and bring many laughs throughout the play. The Evil Landlord’s posture and mannerisms effectively communicate his evil intentions, while Bozo’s notable cluelessness and devotion to his “master” creates the perfect duo for their evil endeavours. All of these characters help the play’s plot line move forward, their chemistry and effort are reflected throughout the show.

One notable way assistant director Helen Snook has created seamless scene changes is through the use of the Three Blind Mice. These characters appeared between scenes, helping to keep the audience entertained while any props or costume changes were needed. These mice also involve the audience by encouraging the singing of popular Christmas tunes. Not only did the audience get to interact through song, but the use of placards and 4th Wall breaks.

Another fun character was Santa’s Cat, played by Alinka Jacobson. This character is on stage whenever our beloved Santa is. Although Alinka has no dialogue, she uses her body and gesture to truly portray a cat. From the beginning to the end, she was a constant eye-catcher as she crawled out after Santa, and then hurriedly followed him away. Her realistic cat-like movements made for a uniquely lovable character.

The incredible efforts of the makeup team, led by Alisha and Lynette Hann, meant that not only were the characters adorable but also clearly representative of their character, it truly gave the “natural” feel to each person. The prop and lighting team also did a truly amazing job at concisely creating a simple, yet warm set that allowed us to easily understand where we were at all times with minimal props, along with lighting to show scene or character changes, with a red light meaning the evil landlord was about, and more natural lighting used to show the Clauses’ inviting home.

Overall, apart from a few prompted lines on the first night, this play flows naturally and leaves the audience with a warm feeling that truly replicates the Christmas spirit. This play is a must-see, especially with Christmas around the corner, and will without a doubt entertain the whole whanau.

Editor’s note: Two of editor Ilona Hanne’s children are in this play, so we invited two guest reviewers along to the show to watch it and review it for us to avoid any parental bias. Casey Hayes and Aidan Renshaw are both Year 13 students, attending Taranaki Diocesan School and Stratford High School respectively. Both plan to attend Wellington Uni next year where Casey hopes to study film, theatre and business and Aidan plans to study law and English.

The Details:

What: Stratford on Stage presents Santa’s Last Stand

When: Now to November 19

Tickets: TET Kings Bookshop or via email: Stratfordonstagetickets@gmail.com